Chapter 187
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 187
Chapter Title: Who is the Prey?
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Right after learning of the Slaughter Monk's existence from Jun, Aiden's heart began to pound fiercely.
'Slaughter Monk...!'
How could he ever forget?
It was the first time in his life he'd felt such utter helplessness.
Even pouring out everything he had, he couldn't dream of toppling the foe—let alone dodge a single casual punch from him.
And now, that monster had reappeared.
At level 8, no less.
'I can't just charge in blindly.'
So Aiden decided to employ a method all his own, one he hadn't possessed back then.
Surrendering his body to the wind, he raced through the forest, slicing down every monster in sight.
In response, the winds enveloping his form whipped up even more violently.
It was all to maximize the power of his equipped 'Destroyer's Leather.'
By the time he arrived from the opposite side of the island—having recovered his stamina along the way and drawing out the full efficiency of his 'Balrog Leather Greaves'—he witnessed Jun flying through the air from the Slaughter Monk's fist.
At that very moment, Aiden's mana surged.
[Master, you're angry!]
Resonating with Aiden's surging wave of emotion, the spirit unleashed destructive winds.
The raging gale crushed everything nearby just by approaching.
Aiden channeled that full energy into his blade and charged at the Slaughter Monk, bound by Jun's power.
[Charge]
[Tempest Fury Rush]
[Bridging the gap between Lv.5 and Lv.8]
The gap between level 5 and 8, once insurmountable, had narrowed endlessly through coincidences and inevitabilities piled upon one another.
His blade tore straight into the Slaughter Monk's chest.
"Grk...!"
Both pectorals split open, and his body was hurled backward by the ferocious wind.
"Sunbae!"
"Urgh..."
Without a moment to check on the distant Slaughter Monk, Aiden rushed to Jun.
He immediately pulled a potion from his pouch, pouring it into Jun's mouth, then doused the torn and twisted limbs with the rest.
"Cough... Ha... I-I almost died."
Fortunately, the potion's potency restored him quickly, and Jun gasped for breath.
It was possible only because the pure mana of Demon God Body had barely prevented the Slaughter Monk's aura from infiltrating his body.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah... Not dying-level bad. More importantly, the Slaughter Monk?"
"That bastard..."
Aiden's gaze turned toward where the foe had flown.
The strike had been so devastating that the Slaughter Monk lay embedded in the sand, leaving a massive gouge.
"He's... dead?"
"...No. He's still alive."
As Jun said.
Despite wounds severe enough to expose ribs, the Slaughter Monk twisted his broken neck to glare their way.
"Heh heh heh... Close call there, donor."
Even the Slaughter Monk had felt a chill down his spine from that blow.
And upon recognizing the foe, he was all the more shocked.
That blond, blue-eyed man was undoubtedly the green warrior he'd seen with the mage in the enemy estate's basement.
The novice who hadn't dared attempt to join the fray back then.
Now strong enough to inflict a mortal wound on him.
Was such growth possible?
In just one year.
Even with aura, a level 5 user's should be blockable with a fist against his own mental power.
Yet here he was, so pitifully defeated.
"You've... grown strong too, donor..."
"How did you block that strike?"
"Keh heh heh! Nothing much. Just used a bit of my power."
He'd released a portion of the slaughter karma accumulated through Blood Karma Cycle, blocking Aiden's Tempest Fury Rush once.
But its force was staggering.
Enough karma to wipe out a village had vanished in an instant.
"Hoo... Still, it cleared my head nicely."
Crack. Crack.
The Slaughter Monk rose, twisting his neck.
Though his mental technique Blood Slaughter Annihilation had been shattered by that blow, his mind was sharper for it.
"How is he even... in that state..."
Despite bones visibly protruding, the Slaughter Monk brushed himself off casually.
"What, you think my life's been free of crises like this?"
"Don't bluff, you mangy dog. You're burning through slaughter karma just to stay upright."
"Heh heh... Donor. Did you know? Talking to you feels like standing naked. How do you know so much?"
The mad bastard, spouting horrors.
But the Slaughter Monk's sentiment wasn't wrong.
'How many times have I fallen to you?'
The Slaughter Monk was a major villain appearing in the mid-to-late game.
He'd attempted to defeat him countless times.
'If I didn't know that much, I'd forfeit my veteran status.'
He could even guess the foe's current state.
"At this level, he's around 7... maybe even lower."
"...Still strong."
"Yeah."
In wuxia terms, he was drawing on his innate energies to fight.
The Slaughter Monk undoubtedly knew it could cause permanent damage.
Yet he pressed on to kill them.
'Tenacious bastard. Just like my master.'
Shaking off the unwelcome memory, Jun addressed Aiden.
"I can resummon the golem soon."
"How much time do you need?"
"One minute. You got it from Eleanor?"
"Yes."
With that, Aiden handed Jun a golden book from his pouch.
"Hoo..."
Jun wasn't the only one prepared for a rematch with the Slaughter Monk.
Eleanor had endured that same helplessness and nearly lost Bern, like family to her.
Moreover, an outer god's energy still slumbered in her body, so the Heavenly Sky Sect would always see her as a vessel.
"Alright, let's do it."
"Got it."
Jun promptly resummoned the golem and cast reinforcement spells.
This fight was far more manageable than before.
The heavily wounded Slaughter Monk had even expended slaughter karma from Blood Karma Cycle to block Aiden's strike.
On their side: full-health Aiden and a golem bolstered by various spells.
Vrrr—!
After a brief standoff, the golem charged first.
Trusting its sturdy exoskeleton, it barreled forward stubbornly. The one-armed Slaughter Monk stomped, shaking the earth.
Exploiting the brief opening, he ignored the golem to close in on Aiden.
'Can't see him!'
Even Aiden missed the blinding speed.
But he hadn't lost the attack's trajectory.
Predicting from muscle twitches, he'd already raised his guard.
Beast-like reflexes.
As the Slaughter Monk shifted stance in disbelief at the un-level-5 response—
Vrrr—!
The golem he'd passed in that split second swung a massive fist their way.
'Damn.'
Having fought mostly humans, this was the Slaughter Monk's oversight.
The foe was a golem, capable of 180-degree torso twists.
No chance to reposition now.
In that instant's crossroads, he chose retreat over reckless attack.
Seeing it, Jun clenched his fist.
'Holding up better than expected.'
Confirming that much, Jun focused on his spell.
'Eleanor's magic is holy magic.'
Studying magic with her over time, he'd naturally learned the mechanics of her holy spells.
Holy magic manifested through divine power, not mana.
Obvious, yet a huge difference: divine power came from gods, not the caster.
Thus, exhausting it brought no penalties.
'But it's limited in application. Conversely, within a god's domain, it's absolute.'
Eleanor's god was Ariklotos, deity of healing.
At first glance, a healing god harming others seemed distant.
'But healing can be applied broadly.'
For instance, curses.
Curses harm the body; curing them is healing.
'And the Slaughter Monk's Blood Karma Cycle works like a curse.'
Even in the estate, the Slaughter Monk had recoiled at Eleanor's divine power.
From that insight, she'd devised a counter for those grown through profane power.
With some success.
But incomplete—because:
—I can't use this alone.
—Why?
—Look at the scale. It guzzles divine power. We're not facing small fry. Monks like that bald one or the snake-headed hag? My divine power alone can't cover it.
—Then what?
—You figure it out, Captain. You've got mana for days.
Exactly.
This holy spell uniquely ran on mana. The golden book in Jun's hands was an enchant tome, crafted with the bestowal magic she'd taught him.
'Nail this, and Eleanor's morale will skyrocket.'
Even from a mage's view, this holy spell boasted insane difficulty.
[Holy Magic - Shangrili of Silence]
Built on Eleanor's holy patterns, powered by Jun's mana—a fiendishly tricky spell.
Two energies that shouldn't mix, like water and oil. But Demon God Body's pure mana made it possible.
Fwaaaah—!
A sacred golden banner descended from the heavens, stabbing into the earth.
Divine light then spread wide from it, filling the area.
This spell held no physical healing.
Instead, it violently incinerated all impurities.
"Cough—?!"
The effect was immediate.
"What... have you done...!!"
Just touching the light ripped out chunks of his accumulated slaughter karma.
Like pouring water into a leaky jar.
"Kek... How's it feel? Custom holy magic from our priestess."
"Holy magic...?! How can a mere mage...!"
To the Slaughter Monk, it was incomprehensible.
In his worldview, mages couldn't summon holy magic.
"If this was all it took, I'd be disappointed. With this up, you can't even rampage."
"Donorrrrrr!!!"
As Jun said.
The Slaughter Monk's terror stemmed from absurd physical prowess.
Even scarier: when his HP dropped too low, he rampaged.
When stamina and will couldn't sustain Blood Karma Cycle, he was consumed, turning into a true madman.
But not in this zone.
The divine power, gorged on Jun's vast mana, would burn anything it touched.
[Iron Rampart]
Steel walls erupted everywhere, showering sand.
In the coliseum-like arena, Jun smirked.
"Well... now, who's the prey?"